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Living green bridges are vernacular landscape biotecture

Living bridges? I found a nineteenth century drawing of living green bridge in 2009 and was delighted to find that they still exist. We can see it as vernacular landscape biotecture (using the word biotecture as a contraction of biological archiecture). The above example of a living root bridge is near Mawlynnong in the Khasi hills, in the Indian State of Meghalaya. Before you rush out any bridge construction detail based on this photograph please remember that ‘Meghalaya’y means The Abode of Clouds. Assam is to the north and Bangladesh on the south. A village near Cherrapunji in the Khasi Hills is the wettest place on earth with an annual rainfall of just under 12000mm (ie 24 times London’s average annual rainfall of 500mm). One could attempt a living bridge with willows in England, but I think it would turn into a dam, because the branches would root into the water.
Image courtesy Seema KK.

I would like to see a tree-planted bridge over the Thames in London, preferably without an motor-powered vehicles. It should be a place to sip tea and gulp down the views from plein air seats, glazed outdoor seats and glazed indoor seats, so that the views can be enjoyed in ever type of weather. The best place for such a bridge would probably be above one of the rail crossings.

I have seen a number of very good sketch designs for a green bridge above Hungerford Bridge. The planning attraction is that it would connect Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross Station to the Arts Centre on the South Bank. I think it should also be a Sacred Wood with a calm walk under the trees and strips of people-free habitat space on both margins – with occasional cross-paths to viewing platforms. Or maybe the Sacred Wood section should be the ‘central reservation’. I would have it as an area from which litter can be collected with mechanical picks etc but to which there was no human access at any time for any reason. It would be a Skywood.

Hmmm, it seems bridge designers (engineers) are greater fans of landscape architects than they are architects, so that fact at least would seem to bode well for more green bridges![ http://www.tallbridgeguy.com/2009/06/page/2/ ]

They missed an opportunity when they built they pedestrian crossings beside Hungerford Bridge. They are just that:crossings. They have no plants and no places to sit and enjoy the views. Disappointing lack of imagination.

Blog comments on the footbridges from the public all seem to be positive, ie. an improvement on the status quo. But perhaps you are right, to design the world’s most amazing green footbridges takes more than a little imagination…

Yes. If you give starving pedestrians slices of bread they will see this as a vast improvement. But if you give them slices of bread AND jam, they will love you for ever and a day. Thank you for the links. One of my favourite examples of a now-green (but still unplanted) bridge is the Charles Bridge in Prague. Also see the design for the green bridge for the Olympic Forest Park in Beijing.

The moss briges are wonderful but would only work in a deep wet forest.
I have planted willows beside a small stream and seen them form a dense mass of fibrous roots. I guess it is a question of scale: if there was a lot of water and the bridge was at a good height then it could work with willows. Please try!